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Pontiac 2+2
The Pontiac 2+2 was a full size high performance automobile manufactured by Pontiac Motor Division. It debuted in 1964 as an interior trim option for the Pontiac Catalina, with special door panels, buckets seats and center console. Pontiac marketed the 2+2 as the "big brother" to the popular Pontiac GTO. Beginning in 1965 the name Catalina was no longer found on the car, although the 2+2 was its own separate series for the 1966 model year only. The 2+2 was given the 421 cubic inch power plant, dual exhaust, heavy duty front springs as well as its own outer body trim appointments. It officially became its own series in 1966, on the same platform, but reverted again to an option in 1967 and was discontinued in the United States the same year due to poor sales. It continued as a series in Canada until 1970. Design The designation 2+2 was borrowed from European sports cars (i.e. Ferrari) with seating for 4: 2 in front plus 2 in the rear. It was designated officially at Pontiac as a "regular performance" model, and was intended by Pontiac to be to the Catalina platform what the GTO was to the Lemans. Standard on the 2+2 beginning with the 1965 models was a high-compression 421 V8 powered through a 3-speed manual transmission, with 3-speed automatic and 4-speed as optional equipment. Consumers also had the option of ordering an array of induction setups to feed it, like a single 4bbl carburetor or a 3x2 configuration, called Tri-Power. The suspension was stiffened for improved handling with heavy duty springs and sway bars. Although the 2+2 was discontinued by 1968, all options (except the Tri-Power, which Pontiac discontinued in 1966) were still available to consumers, and a purchaser could still order what amounted to a 2+2 without the badges. Exterior The 2+2 was only available as a hardtop coupe or convertible. Distinguishing a 2+2 visually from a Catalina was easy, simply by spotting the tell-tale "shark-gill" louvers on the fenders or quarter panels. As 2+2 body styles were re-worked yearly like clockwork, so too did the look and placement of the louvers, as they had a tendency to be placed on different locations on the fenders from one year to the next. 1964 was the only year that the 2+2 came without them. Along with the badges that appeared on the fenders, hood, and interior to identify the 2+2, other details that appeared included a metal trim that ran the full length of the car, along the lower body line and skirt on the 1965 and 1966, and at mid-door height on the 1967. Another distinguishing feature was the pin-stripe trim package offered after 1965. Interior The sport interior was equipped with individual bucket seats. Automatic transmission cars had a column shift as standard equipment, console and floor shift were optional. Manual transmission cars had a floor shift as standard equipment. The console was also an option. The elegant Catalina dashboard was carried over as well, and fitted with fully functional gauges. Other optional features included a console-mounted vacuum gauge, to monitor efficient engine use while driving, and a tachometer mounted at the top left corner of the dash fascia and later the hood, as an option in 1967. Power plant The Catalina and 2+2 were built on a lighter-weight platform, but came with the same variety of power options as the larger Pontiac Bonneville model. The smaller displacement 389 cubic inch engine - though standard in the Catalina - was not available in the 1965-1967 model 2+2's. All Canadian-built 2+2's were equipped with Chevrolet engines. 1964 Pontiac offered the 2+2 as a trim option only in 1964. Most of the trim specifics were found in the passenger compartment. Without the 2+2 badges on the outside, it looked very much like the base Catalina. Standard was the 389 in³, OHV Trophy V8, rated at 283 hp (211 kW) under a Rochester 2bbl carburetor, and a 3-speed transmission controlled by a floor shifter mounted through the center console. A 4-speed was available at extra cost as was an automatic. 1965-67 1965 was the year that Pontiac dropped its "Trophy" name for the V8 but it was also the year that the 2+2 was assigned its own power plant, the 421 in³ "2+2 V8". Identifying the 2+2 visually was much easier, once the louvers were incorporated into the bodywork. Now that the 421 was the standard engine, the 2+2 was elevated to the status of a stand-alone, true performer. Standard features included heavy-duty springs and shock absorbers, a 3-speed synchromesh manual transmission (a 4-speed with a Hurst shifter was optional), dual exhausts, and a performance axle ratio of 3.42:1. A new Turbo-Hydramatic automatic transmission replaced the much-loved but obsolete Hydramatic. Canadian 2+2 In 1967, GM of Canada debuted the Parisienne 2+2, a sport grand-tourer based on the Parisienne series that replaced the Parisienne Custom Sport from a year earlier. All Pontiac's manufactured and sold in Canada were unique from their US counterparts as GM of Canada fitted re-proportioned US Pontiac bodies to the Chevrolet Impala chassis and drive trains. Canadian purchasers of the 2+2 could therefore order any Chevrolet V8 engine option like the 283 and 327 in³ small-block engines, or the 396 and 427 in³ "Mark IV" big-block. The trim options were slightly different as well, with Chevrolet's 14-inch Rally rims being used instead of the US Pontiac Motor Division's Kelsey-Hayes "8-lug" integral wheel/brake-drum sets. Surprisingly, a 250 cu. in. 155 hp (116 kW) straight-6 was standard in 1967 which suggested that the Canadian 2+2 was simply the Parisienne with louvers, exterior and interior badges, as well as bucket seats and center console (which were options on the Parisienne) as standard equipment. 1967-70 Category:Pontiac Category:Post-war